The Elgin Back to School BBQ Bash on Aug. 18 was a smashing success. The brainchild of Elgin City Councilman Corey Dixon, with big support from Jeff Turner, owner of Dream Deli, and caterers Ryan Wausche and Willie Cortes from Delicia Tropical Café, the event provided free hot dogs and pasta salad for hungry students and their families.

In addition to free hot dogs and live entertainment offered at Wing Park, 600 backpacks stocked with school supplies were handed out to students headed back to the classroom and booths were set up to offer valuable information for parents.

The Philadelphia Holiness Full Gospel Baptist Church was on hand. “It is good to give back to the community through outreach programs,” member Catrina Dyson said.

Brian Walker, of Wells Fargo financial services, had his crew out to provide advice on college and retirement funds.

This event was a dream of Dixon’s, who said he was impressed when he attended a similar event in Aurora three years ago.

“Aurora has been having this event for 25 years and it is a wonderful model. I wasn’t the best of students and I want to encourage youth to never give up,” Dixon said.

When asked about the readiness of local kindergarten students, Dixon said, “Education is a gatekeeper. Young people must go to school, study hard and they will be equipped with the tools they need for success.

“I would also like for the community to use the resources that are already available, like Head Start, Gail Borden library resources and parents reading to their children.”

The event was a great way to get students the supplies they need for a successful school year and their parents information about resources in the Elgin community. It also offered parents a way to network with each other and pick up additional skills to help their children achieve.

Ashley Rufino

Elgn City Councilman Corey Dixon

Elgn City Councilman Corey Dixon (Ashley Rufino)

Congratulations to those community members who worked hard to put this event on. It takes parents, schools, and the community as a whole to provide students with the tools they need to become hard working adults. The Back to School BBQ Bash sent the message that the Elgin community cares about its students.

Linda McDaniel-Hale is a Fox Valley resident who offers opinions on local topics.